Something Worth Protecting
by Pichachu
Summary: AU. Kagome tells Shippou a fairy tale one night. The story is the fairy tale: Cinderella-esque. InuYasha, a prince sold into servitude to the Higurashi home, is the protector and best friend of Princess Kagome except one ball can change it all. InuKag
1. A Mother's Goodbye

A/N: Hey everyone! It's been almost a year since I wrote something... and I probably should update my past projects, but I think I'll start something to get the creative juices flowing. This story, however, needs a coauthor. Not that I can't do it by myself... I just like the extra help (and the extra butt kicking to write more). If anyone's interested, give me an email at ShockingBuggy aol . com or (take out spaces for real email) IM me at the s/n of ShockingBuggy. Don't be afraid to approach me... I don't bite (not hard at least).

Dedication: This goes to Telenagikinetic. Nagi-chan provided me with all the InuYasha episodes, so thus, providing me with the material to write the story.

Disclaimer: Don't own, don't sue... not making money off this, so you're wasting your lawyer fees.

xxxxxxx - change from "real world" to the fairy tale world Kagome was creating.

xXxXxXx – change a scene in either the fairy tale world or real world, but within it (wow, I hope that made sense)

Translations (I'll mention these once, and if you need to, you may refer back to this page, but I'll add some later on if there are more)

Youkai – Demon

Hanyou – Half demon

Miko - priestess

Sengoku Jidai – the feudal period of Japan when InuYasha and the gang lived.

**Something Worth Protecting**

**Prologue: A Mother's Goodbye**

"Kagome!" whined Shippou. "I can't sleep!"

Kagome sleepily rolled over to look at her fox youkai friend. It took her a little while to figure out her surroundings. She was in the Sengoku Jidai, a world filled with strange youkais and feudal lords, staying at Lady Kaede's house. Lady Kaede generously offered shelter to Kagome and her friends, Shippou, Miroku, Sango, and of course, InuYasha. Naraku, the hanyou who was chasing after the Shikon no Tama shards like them, had disappeared yet again, and Kagome decided that it would have been best if the group took the time to recharge for a few days, despite InuYasha's objections.

"Aww... Shippou... just try to relax a little more," Kagome voice was soft and soothing like velvet. "Aren't you exhausted from all the walking today?"

"I am tired... but I can't sleep!" he whined again.

"Shut up, damn brat!" InuYasha barked from the corner, where he had been sleeping sitting up. "Some of us can and want to sleep."

Shippou just stuck his tongue out at InuYasha, who didn't catch it because the latter's eyes were still closed.

"Well, Shippou," Kagome said, ignoring InuYasha's comment and Shippou's reaction, "is there anything that you want me to do for you?"

"Well..." Shippou hesitated. He wasn't sure if he should ask for what he had in mind since he knew InuYasha would tease him mercilessly if he knew.

"Well, what?" Kagome prodded gently.

"Could you... I mean... would you..." Shippou stammered looking down at the ground, blushing a little.

"Could I what?" Kagome asked, with an amused expression on her face over her friend's difficulty over the request.

Shippou was still looking at the ground when he finally spat out, "Could you tell me one of the fairy tales of your world?"

Kagome giggled a little. "After all the times you ask me for one, I'd think it would be easier for you. Of course I would."

Shippou's expression lit up. "Do a special one this time!"

Kagome considered it for a moment. "Okay, but I need you to go get water for us while I think of what the story is going to be."

Without another word, Shippou raced out the door to bring the group water.

Kagome smiled a little as she saw InuYasha's ears twitch a little at the sound of a fairy tale. Though, he pretended to hate them, all of them knew that secretly, deep down, InuYasha was very interested in them, maybe even liked them.

While Shippou retrieving the requested water, Kagome started to rekindle the fire that had burned down to embers while everyone but Shippou had been sleeping. Kagome looked over at Miroku, Sango, and Kirara. They would be disappointed about not hearing a fairy tale too, but Kagome did not want to disturb their sleep. It had been a trying day to say the least.

Shippou returned shortly after with a bucket of water. When he arrived he hastily, but quietly, put the bucket down and found a seat by Kagome. He was anxious to hear what story Kagome was going to tell. Kagome took a deep breath as she began.

"_Once upon a time, there was a world where youkais and humans lived together peacefully. There were many different kingdoms, but the most powerful was the __Shikon__Kingdom__, named because it possessed the powerful Shikon no Tama. The __Shikon__Kingdom__ was a human kingdom, but youkais often came to the country just to see the jewel. Many youkai kingdoms made alliances with the __Shikon__Kingdom__ just for the extra power that may have been granted from the Shikon no Tama._

_ "The most powerful of the youkai kingdoms was the Inu Kingdom. The king was a powerful youkai who had a kind spirit, and, unlike most demons, a love for humans. In fact, his most recent queen was a human that he had saved. Along with a much older full youkai son he had from a previous marriage, the king and the human queen were blessed with a son, who was named InuYasha. The family lived peacefully until the boy was three years old, when the little hanyou's life was turned upside down..._

xxxxxxx

"The king is dead!" a panicked messenger announced.

A bone-chilling silence filled the room as everyone – the servants, the maids, the queen, and the two sons of the now deceased king – tried to understand the news.

The first to speak was the oldest son, Sesshoumaru. "What do you mean 'dead?'" he inquired calmly. Sesshoumaru voice was even but very cold as ice, like normal. He glared intently at the messenger after giving a quick glance at his half-brother, who had a look of great confusion on his face.

"Yes, Your Highness," the messenger answered shakily, bowing his head to the prince. "He was killed. A youkai seeking revenge attacked His Majesty's carriage along with a village full of humans. And he... he... we servants told His Highness not to... that we servants and guards would take care of it... but he would not listen saying that he knew that the youkai was too strong for us. When... When His Highness went after the youkai, His Highness was able to seal it, but it... it sapped all of His Highness's strength. His Highness... he... he couldn't... he didn't... "

By the end of this narration, the messenger was sobbing and hiccupping uncontrollably. The silence that had been there before hung in the air once more. No one else could bring themselves to speak. The queen sat at her place with tiny streams of tears pouring from her eyes.

"I see..." Sesshoumaru stated just as calmly as before. "If you don't mind, I am going to retreat to my bed chambers. I would not liked to be disturbed." With that, the prince walked out of the room. The servants he passed were still in shock, but they bowed to him robotically, staring off into space.

Sesshoumaru had very mixed feelings about the news. He was sorry-- that is for certain -- that his father had been killed, but at the same time, he knew that the king had it coming. Nothing good can come of loving humans like his father had. As soon as he fell in love with the human, the king had something like this coming. Sesshoumaru had a large amount of disdain towards his step-mother, and even though he knew that she was just being kind to him, he managed to find fault in all her actions. He hated the way a human was able to make such a mark on his family, and his hanyou brother was proof of the human and his father's union. And because of that, Prince InuYasha had been an object of disgust in Sesshoumaru's eyes.

_Stupid fool_, he thought to his father. _Were the humans really that worthy of protecting?_

Deep down, Sesshoumaru knew that this event had changed everything. With the king gone and he the crowned prince of the kingdom, Sesshoumaru knew that he would soon be crowned king. He was not looking forward to ruling over a kingdom filled with brainless demons, but to him, it was better that he took the crown rather than his half human brother or even worse, his human mother.

As the new king, Sesshoumaru knew what he had to do. He had to restore the kingdom's power and honor. He had to reinstate the Inu Kingdom as the strongest and most respectable of all the youkai kingdoms.

He had to get rid of his stepmother and his half brother.

_But how and when?_

xxxxxxx

"_The next days went by in a flash for the grieving kingdom. There was much preparation not only for the funeral and remembrance of their beloved head-of-state but also for the crowning of the new king, Sesshoumaru. However, the day was not to be a happy one for during that time, an evil plot was brewing. Shortly after, the queen and her son had vanished from the kingdom without a trace except for a few articles missing. When asked, no one knew what had happened, but deep down the people knew that the wool had been pulled over their eyes, so they did not trust the new king when he took the throne..."_

xxxxxxx

"I want you to get out of here," Sesshoumaru told the weeping former queen. "I have stripped you of your undeserved titles as a noble of this land. Leave this kingdom with your despicable son. You have caused enough trouble and dishonor here, do you not agree?

"B-b-but Sess-Sesshoumaru!" stammered the hysterical queen.

"Sesshoumaru-sama..." Sesshoumaru's right hand man, Jaken, piped up. The green youkai had a powerful staff, but more importantly a great respect for Sesshoumaru. "Are you sure you want to do this?"

Sesshoumaru ignored Jaken's question. "You heard me. I do not want you in my kingdom. And it is Your Majesty now. Address me as a superior for I outrank you. And because of that, you must do what I say now."

"But Sesshoumaru!" the human woman wailed.

"Disrespectful woman! Do not address me in such a casual way again. You are no longer of rank!" Sesshoumaru snapped.

"Please, My Lord! Have mercy! Please reconsider!"

Sesshoumaru was silent to the woman's pleads and tears.

"Your Highness!"

"Silence! I do not want to hear your horrid voice any longer! Go get your son and a few things and be gone!"

The poor human sobbed. "What am I going to do? But where will I go? I have no family anywhere. Couldn't I just become a servant in the palace? Please don't make me leave my home!"

"Where you go and what you do is no longer a concern of mine as long as you stay out of this kingdom."

"But—"

"Jaken, take this woman out of my sight. She has taken enough of my time."

"No, please stop! I beg of you! This is not what your father would have wanted!"

Sesshoumaru's posture stiffened. He stalked up to the woman and, with his face close to hers, whispered maliciously, "Don't ever mention him that way. He would not want you to continue to humiliate the family. He would want you to leave. Believe what you want. You are going to leave. I will give you a full day's head start until I send my armies to hunt you down and kill you. You understand that? You ARE going to be out of this family with that son of yours, and there will be no more of it. You'll never speak of this conversation, and you are to never appear in the public's eye. If you do, I'll kill you and your son. I suggest you get going. Now, get out of my sight forever."

He looked out the window at the rain and did not turn around when the door closed. He had no feelings of remorse as he heard the woman's shrieks of emotional distress through the doors. He did the right thing. This was the first step of bringing the Inu Kingdom to its former glory... just a small sacrifice. He knew deep down, it was something he had to do, and now that it was done, he could go to work.

xXxXxXx

The former queen, with a horrible cough and tears in her eyes, quickly made her way out of the kingdom on foot. Going on foot made her less noticeable, which was her goal. She carried her son and a few prized possessions on her back. The rain made the whole situation seem so surreal, but the chilling cold brought her back to reality. She had a long way to go in the one day's time that she was allotted. The tears streamed down her face continuously and mixed with the rain, but her sobs had subsided for now. She wanted to collapse and die. Her shivers and weakness told her that she was really sick and the rain would not help her condition, but when she looked at her son she was carrying on her back, she knew that she had to continue. Even if she didn't make it, her son must live on. He had a big future ahead of him; she knew it deep down in her soul. He must live.

Despair dominated her mind. She did not have the proper time to grieve the loss of her husband, and now she was forced to leave her home to start anew. It was a very likely chance that she might not be able to survive the night. Her health was never very good, but this burden would be very hard to bear. Maybe even too much. She knew that even if she did carry on, she would not be able to take care of her beloved son. She cried as she touched his silver hair and gazed at his sleeping face. There was no possible way they could stay together.

What was she to do with him though? She was probably dying and going to leave her child alone in the world. She was losing hope as the two left the Inu Kingdom's territory and entered into the next kingdom. From her time as queen, she knew that she had just entered in the Shikon Kingdom. She was safe for now, but she needed shelter desperately. She pushed on.

She passed a few of the houses, and though it would be a quick fix for her predicament now, it was not what she was looking for. In the distance in front of her was the Shikon palace. Even though she herself would not receive help from there herself without drawing attention, maybe the people of the grand palace would be her son's only hope. She quietly crept onto the palace grounds, past the guards, and into the servant's quarters.

xXxXxXx

As soon as the woman entered the room, she collapsed dramatically, though not intentionally so. Her body had finally given into the exhaustion that it had been holding off through adrenaline and will power. She only had one wish, and that was to speak with the head of the servants. When the servant head greeted her, she pleaded to let her three-year-old son stay and work for the castle. Apologetically, the servant head told her that there was no more room for another servant, but the head felt sympathy for the poor woman. She looked like she went to hell and back through the night, and maybe something could surely be worked out for them. Especially if the woman was to die...

"Come with me. We shall talk to the king's advisor. Maybe she could work something out," the head told the woman reassuringly.

The king's advisor was a short, elderly lady that had a patch over one eye. She was also dressed in a miko's uniform, and her aura was that of a person who had much wisdom and experience. When she saw the boy, she knew that he was too young to actually start working, but she closed her eyes thoughtfully. He was a hanyou. That could cause problems... but he could also be a huge benefit...

"Lady Kaede?" the servant head inquired.

"Yes... yes... I have a job available for the boy. He shall be a companion for the newborn princess, Kagome, the reincarnate of the last priestess, my sister, Kikyou, and the new protector of the Shikon no Tama. He will serve and protect her. We will start training him for the job as soon as he is old enough. He is a hanyou, correct?" Lady Kaede said.

"Yes, he is, my lady," the former queen answered with a bow.

"What about his father?" the elderly woman inquired.

"He is dead, and I am unable to care for him for I have poor health," the queen replied sadly.

"Ah..." the elderly lady paused. "How much would you like for him?"

"Price is no object, my lady," the other woman replied sadly. "I will take what I get."

"Done. Now give this woman her money..."

"My lady, if you please," the younger interrupted. "I'd like to say good bye to my son."

"Granted. But since he's in service, I'd like him to give this rosary. This will be for his youkai powers," the king's advisor said as she put the necklace of beads around the boy's neck. "He will not be able to take it off because of a spell."

The woman bent down to put her son on the ground. By doing this, she woke him up. She looked her son in the eye and ignored the shivers and aches that her body was giving her as she spoke to him. "Listen to me carefully my son. I don't have much time."

"Mama..." her son told her softly.

"You are going to be staying here from now on with the nice woman over there," she pointed to the king's advisor. The boy just merely nodded, too sleepy to truly comprehend what his mother was trying to tell him. "You are to do everything she says."

All the boy could do was nod.

"In here are a few things that I kept for you," she pointed to a small bag. "But most importantly, I wanted to give you this." She handed him a sword in a sheath. It was much too big for the boy, but the boy took it anyway. The handle glistened in soft light of the castle. The mother's tone dropped when she spoke to him again. "This is the Tessaiga. Your father had this made specifically for you and you are the only one who will be able to use it properly. The sheath has a protection spell on it to keep you safe. It is your father's gift to you. Keep this sword with you always. The sword is very mysterious. You will know how to use it when you find something worth protecting," she paused with tears in her eyes.

Her son looked at her just as sadly and nodded.

"I need to leave you now, my son. Be a good boy for me. Please be strong. You have a big future planned out. I love you, InuYasha. Never forget that. I am very sorry that I have to leave you now, but one day, you will understand. Maybe one day, we will see each other again. Now go with the lady. She will teach you how to live from now on."

xxxxxxx

_ "After a final hug and kiss on the cheek to her only child, with tears pouring from her eyes, she left. She prayed that this was all for the best. She kept on walking even when she heard her son sob for her to come back for him and quickened her pace when she heard him yell to her, 'Please, Mama! Don't leave me! I promise to be a good boy!' She knew that if she gave in just a little to turn around to wave to him, she would never be able to leave him._

_ "As for the little boy, it was only the beginning. He would never forget the day that he had been left with the royal Higurashi family to protect the newborn princess. He swore that one day he would learn how to wield the Tessaiga and find his something worth protecting just for his mother."_

xxxxxxx

End of prologue and to be continued

A/N: And that's just the start. Just to clarify things here, NO! Sesshoumaru is not the bad guy here, but I know that he would very likely do something like this. How did everyone like it? Is it worth continuing? Don't forget all that I'm still looking for a coauthor for this piece, so don't be afraid to ask! The next part might take me a while to come out with because just this took me over a week to write... and I already knew how this was going to go. Next part... I have no idea what I'm going to do (thus, I need a coauthor). I haven't checked it over for errors... which I should do but I want to get this all out as soon as possible. But anyways, please review... constructive criticism is what I want the most. Flames are fun to read, but not appreciated much on my part. I will have a full summary for you guys as soon as I can. I also email when I update (though, I've been kind of bad with that lately...). This marks my return to fan fiction after an almost year hiatus and my debut into the InuYasha fandom. Bye all!

Pichachu

12/6/04: Finally got the mistakes out... well, at least I think I did. Not even close to finishing the next chapter... maybe someone out there can help me?


	2. Electricity

A/N: I think the reasoning for me taking so long to put out fics is that I don't like the crap that you find often in heavy frequented sections. I am an Ernest Hemingway in respect that I scrutinize every sentence by rewriting them (though not ten times). I'm in no way putting myself on the same level as the esteemed author, but it just serves as reasoning for my length of time it takes to put out stories. Since I don't like the crap I find in fanfiction sections (and yes, people have to admit there are some stories that just waste your time), I make sure my stories are the best quality of my ability. With that said, I'll try to be quicker with stories out, but college applications are due in month so I'm a little crunched on time. I promise I'll be quicker with updating as soon as college apps finish.

Just to end this already too long author's note, I just wanted to thank Mika, s.l chanco, Pinayazngrl, KittySand Katie, AuroraMaiden, nannette, Elizabeth Busby, Keyo-Red Angel of Hope, and Shamanic Destiny from FF.N and shywaiigurl, inu fan, Aewi, Tqo, wolfstar03, cow girl candy, lone-puppy, and theultimatedarkness from for all their reviews and support. Thank you for taking your time for me. If you're not here, that means you just reviewed after I made the list. Also, I'd like to thank phantomoftheflame for her time to help me out with story.

I'm fed up with FF.N for not keeping my pretty scene change markers...

xxxxxxx - change from "real world" to the fairy tale world Kagome was creating.

xXxXxXx – change a scene within either the fairy tale world or real world,

**Something Worth Protecting**

**Chapter 2: **

xxxxxx

_ "After a final hug and kiss on the cheek to her only child, with tears pouring from her eyes, she left. She prayed that this was all for the best. She kept on walking even when she heard her son sob for her to come back for him and quickened her pace when she heard him yell to her, 'Please, Mama! Don't leave me! I promise to be a good boy!' She knew that if she gave in just a little to turn around to wave to him, she would never be able to leave him._

_ "As for the little boy, it was only the beginning. He would never forget the day that he had been left with the royal Higurashi family to protect the newborn princess. He swore that one day he would learn how to wield the Tessaiga and find his something worth protecting just for his mother."_

xxxxxx

"Wow... if that were only true, I could almost feel sorry for InuYasha," Sango teased a little, glancing at the said "sleeping" hanyou. She had woken up a little into the tale, but soon enough so that she had not missed anything.

InuYasha ignored the comment and continued to pretend that he was sleeping. Sango just giggled a little because she knew, like everyone else, that he was listening to Kagome's tale. She didn't understand why he still put up the act.

"Yeah... 'almost' being the key word there," Miroku added sitting next to Sango.

Kagome could not help but giggle a little when she saw InuYasha's ear give the slightest twitch. She knew that he was definitely listening.

"Kagome! Continue, please! I want to hear what comes next!" Shippou pleaded. The little fox youkai was sitting very attentively by the fire, waiting patiently to hear the rest of the tale.

"Aww... Okay, Shippou," Kagome replied, and then she cleared her throat to continue.

_"As the years went by, the Inu Kingdom did remain the strongest of the demon kingdoms, sacrifices aside. However, the peaceful balance was on the verge of being disrupted by the subversive Naraku, the hanyou leader of an emerging kingdom named Kage. Using the most guerilla of all tactics, the Kage kingdom was conquering smaller, unstable kingdoms, and rumors revealed that his goal was the Shikon no Tama. Rumors were rumors, but Naraku definitely a dangerous threat. One that could not be ignored..._

xxxxxx

"Your Highness, what do you think we should do?" the general's voice was professional and respectful, but it was easy to hear the edge of desperation. "Naraku is making definite progress toward the kingdom."

The king turned looked out the window with a look that could only be described as pensive. The lines on his wise face stood out the most at times like these. He knew it. His tired eyes glanced down toward the garden where a scene of childish innocence was commencing, but that was not on his mind. He was lost in his own deep thought.

He had feared this. He knew that the demon king would be heading toward his kingdom. At first, he thought that this was just a little distraction – a very annoying one. But when some of his strongest allies were falling to this army... he knew that the Kagen army had to be formidable indeed.

The Shikon no Tama was his goal. It had to be. After all, who could not want something that would promise the holder unlimited power? The jewel would be the cause of such senseless death. Sometimes he wondered why his kingdom had to hold such a prized possession of the demons. But the reason why made him worry even more...

For the first time in his entire rule, the Shikon king did not know what to do... what the exact right decision was. It was a lose-lose situation... no matter what he decided nothing good would come of it.

_Except for one thing..._

An alliance, between a demon kingdom and his kingdom. He was certain that there would be objections with some of the more conservative people on his cabinet, but that was the only solution. He also knew how he would form this alliance. He just hoped that it was enough.

xxxxxx

"_Just as he promised mother, the little hanyou boy was a very obedient boy, despite the hard training he had to endure and the comments made by the other workers of the kingdom. He grew to be a very strong warrior, which would become very useful since humans and demons were at war once again. However, no matter how much he trained, he could not figure how to unlock the powers of his Tessaiga. The sheath came in handy for protection, but the sword was useless._

_ "The boy however, as obedient as he was, he grew bitter with the world around him. People treated him as if he were less than human, and because of that, he made himself a shell of bravado to protect him from people's comments and disapproval. He allowed no one near his heart._

_ "Almost everyone, that is. The princess Kagome grew to be best friends with her bodyguard. Though they fought often, she was the only person who treated the boy as an equal, and because of that, she was the only one to see him with his guard down. They were the best of friends, and nothing would ever change that..."_

xxxxxx

"InuYasha, you get down here this minute!" the princess yelled, her cheeks puffed out in anger.

"Keh, why should I?" was all InuYasha responded.

Princess Kagome, the heir to the Shikon throne, high priestess, and keeper of the Shikon no Tama, now age fifteen, stood in the middle of the palace garden, glaring up a tree. Her hands were on her hips in exasperation, and her face held a look of anger. "Because I said so," she retorted.

The subject of her glare was sitting up in the tree. InuYasha, her hanyou bodyguard and her best friend, was lying up in a tree. He had his eyes clothes and his hands behind his head, like he could not care less about what she said. "And that's a good enough reason for me to climb down from here? You've got to be kidding yourself."

"I'm serious, InuYasha. My father wants me to go see him. He says it's important, and I want you to come with me for moral support," she yelled, with a hint of begging.

"I don't see how it concerns me. Now if you don't mind, I'd like you to leave me alone," InuYasha replied and turned his back to her.

"Fine then. Now if you don't mind, I'll come up there with you, then," Kagome replied smugly as she began climbing the tree. This banter was quite typical of the two of them.

He bolted up to a crouched position at the speed of light. "Oh no you don't, woman! You get away from me now," he shot back.

"You watch your manners!" exclaimed Kagome. "I am a princess, mind you. I deserve the respect of one. Besides, you're the one who imposed the challenge."

"What are you talking about?" he exploded. "I made nothing of the sort! And as to the respecting you, you sure as hell don't act like a princess. Why should I treat you as one?"

"I take offense to that!" she said playfully. "And you did so! When you told me that you wanted to be left alone. Now I know that you really didn't mean that..."

As she started moving up the tree, he climbed up even higher than he already was. "Did you not hear my words correctly? I meant what I said! Princesses do not climb trees. Now get down, woman, before you hurt yourself."

"Hm... I suppose you're right. But I did mean what I said. I want you to come with me," Kagome said thoughtfully as she started climbing down.

"And I will not because I don't want to," InuYasha told her with a mocking tone.

"You will come with me because I said so," Kagome replied with a fake sweet tone in her voice.

"You can't make me," InuYasha mocked her tone.

"Yes, I can," Kagome's anger was starting to show in her voice.

"No, you can't!" InuYasha growled. At this point, he was not even going to bother faking. He was genuinely pissed off.

"Yes, I can!" Kagome yelled, matching InuYasha's tone.

"Make me, wench!" InuYasha spat back.

"Fine! I think I will!" Kagome yelled. She paused for a moment and started to walk away from the tree, and then she stopped abruptly. Her expression was unreadable. She just said one word: "Osuwari."

With that, his rosary around his neck glowed, and he came tumbling down many feet from the branch upon which he was sitting and slammed to the ground. After staying on the ground for a full minute, he got up with a groan of pain and look of anger on his face.

"Why you little..." he said slowly.

"I told you I was serious," she interrupted, still angry about before.

He did not say anything else. Instead, he tackled and pinned her to the ground. At first she was scared... very scared, but then she saw the amused expression on his face, and all the fear melted away. When she tried to wrestle out of his grasp, he only held her down harder. When he tickled her, she laughed uncontrollably. When he stopped, she grew nervous.

"InuYasha?" she tried hesitantly. She could not move. She looked into his amber eyes... her best friend's eyes.

She wondered if it was only her who felt the electricity.

"Your Highness?" a random servant inquired.

The two on the ground move quickly out of their conspicuous position. Kagome could swear that her face was on fire. "Yes?"

"The king has inquired as to what the delay was, Your Highness," the servant informed respectfully.

"Oh, right... You may tell him that I will be with him shortly," Kagome told her, her facing feeling more flushed. The servant bowed respectfully and then departed to inform the king.

Kagome watched the servant run back to report to her father. She wondered if the servant would divulge what had commenced in the garden in the moments prior. She glanced at InuYasha, but his back was turned towards her, which was fine with her because she could not meet his eye then either.

"We should go see the king," was all she said.

"Yeah..." was his reply.

xxxxxx

_"The two walked toward the king's chamber in silence. The air was awkward, but one thing was indeed evident to the princess. Though he was trying to hide it by turning away from her, though he was embarrassed by it even more, the not-so-little-anymore hanyou was blushing. And that fact was enough to make her smile."_

xxxxxx

To be continued...

I'd like to apologize for the short chapter and the mistakes. Even though I am on a writing kick at the moment, I wanted to get this out to you guys as soon as possible. I want to apologize for the cheesiness (which I guess would be expected because it is a fairytale/fantasy setting...) and the shortness. If I wrote more, then I think my plot would move too fast, and I'm no good at writing filler. I want to also apologize in advance though for a late update for the next chapter... the eminent due dates of college apps are starting to scare me. I'll probably edit this and buff it up before I even start writing the next chapter. Constructive criticism is as always welcome, even more so than just praise.

Pichachu


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